Swerve of Fate
by musegirl
Summary: Just as Edward and Bella have their shot at romance together, a swerve of fate rips them apart. Ten years later, at their high school reunion they have a second chance at the love they were denied. A thank you/birthday gift for imarieswancullen at TwiFanFictionRecs.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! This is a thank you/birthday present for imarieswancullen over at the TwiFanFictionRecs blog (google to get the site)! She's so amazingly awesome and has pimped all my stories and made such beautiful banners for several of them. I can't thank her enough, so this is my small way of giving back. She asked for an ExB high school reunion tale with LawyerWard and BakerElla. It's broken into chaplets given the length this turned out to be.  
**

**Here you go, doll! I hope you like it! *fingers crossed***

**A HUGE thank you to my lovely beta, AngelaRaex. She's the best and I tell her that all the time.**

**I'm not Stephenie Meyer. *gasp* Or a member of or affiliated with the bands Jet or Backstreet Boys.**

* * *

_The 2003 Senior Class Student Officers cordially invite you to the:_

**Forks High School Class of 2003 Ten Year Reunion!**

_Abbreviated Schedule of Events:_

Wednesday, October 16th

Pancake Breakfast with the Senior Class of 2013

8:00-10:00am, Forks High School

$7.00 per adult, $3.00 per child over 2 years.

_Join us for a family friendly pancake breakfast fundraiser sponsored by the Senior Class of 2013! All proceeds go to the 2013 Senior Class Student Council._

Thursday, October 17th

Pep Rally and Bonfire on the Beach

6:00-9:00pm, Rialto Beach

Forks paraphernalia, snacks, and drinks for purchase.

_Grab your pom-poms and don your Spartan Blue and Gold! Help pump up our team to victory and enjoy yummy s'mores by the bonfire._

Friday, October 18th

Football Game v. Elma High School

7:00pm, Forks High School

Tickets $6.00 per adult, $3.00 per child, concessions available for purchase.

_Go Spartans! Beat the Eagles! Halftime recognition of the 2003 alumni in attendance._

Saturday, October 19th

Class of 2003 Reunion Prom: "Once Upon A Time"

7:00pm, Forks High School Gymnasium

$40.00 per individual or $65.00 per couple (dinner included).

_Relive our magical prom night with your significant other. Whether they truly were your high school sweetheart or not, they can be 'Once Upon A Time.'_

Sunday, October 20th

Family Fun Picnic

11:00am-2:00pm, Miller Tree Inn

$10.00 per family.

_Enjoy the sun, great food, and games at our family picnic. Catered by the Miller Tree Inn._

* * *

_Holy crap_, I thought as I looked over the 'brief' itinerary for my upcoming ten-year high school reunion. Five days of events? Are they freaking serious? Who had enough time and excitement to put together this shit?

As I sat on a stool in the industrial kitchen of my bakery, I racked my brain to try to remember who had been elected as our class officers. Let's see…Jessica Stanley was president with Eric Yorkie as VP. Alice Brandon, the bitch, was secretary and her little puppy Jacob Black had been treasurer. Leah Clearwater was elected historian. And Edward Cullen… Edward was parliamentarian. A wry smile crossed my face.

He could have been president, he was so well liked, but that was "too much commitment." No, parliamentarian was just enough to give him the extra points on his college applications, but not so much actual work as to take away from his studies and other activities. Valedictorian, baseball and track captain, and assistant newspaper editor weren't enough.

A sigh escaped my lips as memories of Edward filled my mind. God, I'd had the biggest crush on him. He was so damn handsome and sexy. And too genuinely sweet to realize he was the star of every Forks High girl's late night, alone time, horny-as-fuck fantasy.

I shivered as my personal favorite, one of Edward taking me on the editor's desk in the newspaper room, popped into my head. Holy wet panties, Batman.

I chuckled. At least I had won out as editor of the newspaper. I might have had a shot at beating him out for valedictorian until…

I raised my hand to the two-inch scar on my upper forehead hidden under my swoop of thick bangs.

A buzzer on one of my ovens sounded loudly and I jumped. "Get a grip, Bella," I mumbled and threw the invitation back in my purse.

I slipped an oven mitt on to remove my cranberry and blueberry scones. I set them out to cool and placed my chocolate-chocolate chip muffins in to bake. I loved owning Duck and Goose Bakery. It was decorated with childlike fantasy and given it's proximity to Seattle Children's Hospital, was perfect for the family and hospital employee clientele. We had grown popular enough to gather a more varied crowd, but I refused to change our image.

"Morning," my best friend and business partner, Emmett, yawned as he shuffled in.

"Good morning," I replied brightly.

He grunted and started arranging plates and trays of fresh baked pastries I'd already completed. "Way too chipper," he said and I laughed.

"It's seven-thirty in the morning, Em. I've been here since five-thirty."

He shot me a look and went back to setting up our display cases. At eight, I unlocked the door and let in our first customers of the day. We made it through the morning rush and by ten-thirty we were both happy to see Rosalie, Emmett's wife and our bookkeeper, walk in to take over in the front.

I gladly sat down in the kitchen and began icing cupcakes methodically. It calmed me and let my mind relax. Edward danced across my thoughts again and I smiled.

"What's the story, smiley?" Emmett teased. "You've had a goofy grin all morning."

"I have? It's nothing, just reminiscing, I guess. My high school reunion is coming up." I shrugged.

He waggled his eyebrows. "I see now. Thinking about your hot, high school boyfriend and how he fumbled his way into making you a woman in the backseat of his parent's car?"

I erupted into full-on belly laughs. "Not even close! No, I didn't have a boyfriend in high school. There was one boy I had a huge crush on, but nothing happened. We were good friends, competitors in our advanced classes, on the newspaper staff together." I shook my head. "Never romantic. Although, he did ask me to prom."

"Oh, yeah?"

I refilled my icing bag and started piping again. "Yeah."

~~{SoF}~~

_April 2003_

"_Hey, Swan. Put it to bed, it's late and they're gonna lock up soon."_

_I looked up to see Edward loitering in the doorway of the newspaper room wearing a sweaty t-shirt and sweatpants, having just come in from baseball practice. My mouth watered at the delicious sight. I filed the image away for later tonight._

"_Well, maybe if my assistant editor didn't skip out on me for ridiculous things like throwing some ball around a field, I wouldn't be here finishing up the layout for next week's paper," I sassed._

_He grinned this lopsided grin and my heart stuttered. "Whatever, taskmaster. I had it all designed before I went to practice, you just feel the need to be the last one to have your hand on it."_

_I rolled my eyes and saved my work before logging off. I grabbed my jacket and backpack to walk out with Edward. As we strolled down the hallways we passed a huge notice advertising the upcoming senior prom. I eyed it wistfully. I wasn't a girly-girl by any means, but I did still fall into the trap of the romantic notions associated with prom. _

_I wanted to dress up and dance and maybe even get a little action for once. I wanted a boy to look at me like I was beautiful and hold me in his arms. Hell, who was I kidding? I wanted Edward to be that boy._

_I let out a soft breath. I knew I wouldn't be going. I hadn't been asked and it wasn't likely to happen. I was cute and nice, but my dad had a gun and a badge. That scared the shit out of teenage boys. And Edward only saw me as a friend. A good friend, but nothing more, nothing less._

_Edward bumped my shoulder with his own. "Why the face, Bella? You checking out the prom sign?"_

_I jerked my gaze from the poster. "Huh? No! That's silly." I plastered on a smile and he cocked an eyebrow._

"_Not buying it," he answered, but let it drop. _

_He walked me all the way to my beat up old truck, despite the misting rain swirling around us and his car parked across the lot. I opened the door and went to climb in, when Edward stopped me._

"_Hey, Bella?"_

_I turned and found him fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie. _

_I lifted my lips in a small smile to reassure him. "Yeah, Edward?"_

"_Um," he ran a hand through his wild auburn hair and then grabbed my hand. I looked down at them in shock._

_Edward was holding my hand. It was warm and big and felt amazing. I wondered what it would feel like on other places of my body. Like pressed against the aching, wet heat between my thighs._

"_Bella?"_

"_Huh?" I oh-so-articulately said and whipped my head up._

"_Do you…I mean, would you want to go to prom with me?"_

"_W-What?" I stammered, stunned out of my mind._

"_You want to go? To prom? With me?"_

"_Yes!" I yelped out. "I mean, yes." I repeated in a more normal intensity level. I felt myself blush from the top of my hair all the way down to the tips of my toes. _

_He responded with a brilliant smile. "Great! That's awesome."_

_I bit my lower lip to tamp down on my own grin. He reached up his free hand and gently tugged it loose. "Don't do that," He murmured and brushed his thumb along the curve of my lip._

_A muffled whimper slipped from me as a thousand sparks exploded through my body at that simple touch. Edward licked his lips as he leaned in closer. I lifted up on my toes to help meet him in the middle._

_Suddenly, the sounds of Jet filled the air._

_"Big black boots_

_long brown hair_

_she's so sweet_

_with her get back stare_

_Well I could see,  
you home with me,  
but you were with another man, yea!  
I know we,  
ain't got much to say,  
before I let you get away, yea!  
I said, are you gonna be my girl?"_

_We both jumped back and Edward looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry, that's my cell." He started rummaging around in his backpack to find it._

_Despite my racing heartbeat, disappointment filled me as I cursed his stupid phone for denying me my first kiss. From_ Edward_. "That's okay. I should go." _

"_Right," he finally found his phone and pulled it out just as the ringing stopped. Ironically, it was right at when mine started up._

"_You are my fire _

_The one desire _

_Believe when I say _

_I want it that way _

_But we are two worlds apart _

_Can't reach to your heart _

_When you say _

_That I want it that way "_

_I scrambled to silence my call. I saw my dad's name pop up and knew he was likely wondering where I was. _

"_Backstreet Boys? Really, Bella? I thought you had better musical taste than that." Edward smirked at me. _

_I narrowed my eyes at him. "I like them. Nick is hot. And I guess you think you're sooo cool for listening to Jet? They are such Rolling Stones wannabes!"_

_Edward's laugh boomed out and made my knees weak to see him smiling at me like that. "Touché. I guess both of our parents are about to send out search parties. I'll see you tomorrow?"_

"_Yep," I grinned._

_He beamed back. "And prom with me?" _

"_Definitely." I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and nodded. "See you tomorrow, Edward."_

"_Bye, Bella."_

* * *

**Thoughts? I'll be posting the next chapter soonish. Reviews might make it happen faster... ;o)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, the response to this was overwhelming! Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/alerte, you are the best readers! You asked for me, so here you go. Happy Friday!**

**This is a thank you/birthday present for imarieswancullen over at the TwiFanFictionRecs blog (google to get the site)! She's so amazingly awesome and has pimped all my stories and made such beautiful banners for several of them. I can't thank her enough, so this is my small way of giving back. She asked for an ExB high school reunion tale with LawyerWard and BakerElla. It's broken into chaplets given the length this turned out to be.  
**

**Here you go, doll! I hope you like it! *fingers crossed***

**A HUGE thank you to my lovely beta, AngelaRaex. She's the best and I tell her that all the time.**

**I'm not Stephenie Meyer. *gasp***

* * *

"And that's it?" Emmett exclaimed.

"That's it." I said with a little nod of my head

"What happened? Why didn't you two end up pledging your undying love for each other before having hot, crazy, teenage virgin sex on prom night?" Rosalie interrupted from her spot leaning against the door.

I tapped my forehead. "Car wreck on the way home. Coma for a week. Picked up meningitis while I was in the Port Angeles hospital and was care flighted to Seattle Children's. You know my luck." I paused and took a deep breath to push back the depression and sensation of feeling cheated threatening to overwhelm me. "I haven't seen him since. In reality, I shouldn't even be class of 2003. I didn't truly graduate until 2004, but the school did me a favor and let me 'graduate' with incompletes for my classes."

Rosalie exhaled loudly. "Girl, you have to go this reunion. Go get your man!" Emmett nodded in agreement while rolling out dough to make croissants.

I snorted. "He's probably deliriously happy married to a supermodel with three kids, two dogs, and house with a white picket fence. Although, I wouldn't mind catching up. He's the one person I've always wondered about. He wanted to be a doctor. We were both accepted to Dartmouth, I bet he went. But life doesn't always follow the plans you have."

His smiling face came to mind again and I busied myself with mixing up peanut butter cookie dough and ignored the weight of Rose and Em's stares. No reason to dwell on the past. That car accident had altered my life in ways I'd never dreamed possible. Meningitis was a bitch and she did a number on me.

Emmett walked over and put his arm around my shoulders. I looked up at him. "You should go back. You hardly ever visit Forks and when you do you act like a total recluse. It would be good for you to see your old friends. Stop hiding. You're a successful, beautiful woman who should be proud of what you've accomplished."

"Maybe," I answered in a noncommittal voice. I wasn't sure I wanted to expose myself to the people who knew me before my accident and hadn't seen me after.

~~{SoF}~~

A month later found me back in Forks and parked in the driveway of my Dad's house. After sitting for a moment to gather my courage, I grabbed my bag, and walked up. "Dad?" I called out as I pushed open the door. I heard his voice coming from further inside and headed toward the direction I thought it was from.

"Hey, Bells!" My dad greeted as he stepped out of the kitchen. He swung me up into a bear hug. "Good to see you, kiddo," he said and kissed my cheek.

"It's good to see you too, dad. How are you?"

"Eh, can't complain. You looking forward to the big reunion? Five fun filled days! It's all anyone is talking about in town."

Butterflies shimmied around in my stomach. I rubbed my now sweaty palms on my denim-clad thighs. "I suppose. I don't know, dad. Maybe we should just go fishing instead. I'm sure we could get our usual cabin by Dickey Lake."

"Bella, you have to stop hiding. There's no reason why you shouldn't have kept in touch with at least a couple of your high school friends."

I fidgeted under his scrutiny. "I know, but I'm different now. You understand that more than anyone."

My dad huffed and cupped my face in his hands. "Baby girl, there might be a few things that have changed because of your accident, but you are still the same smart and sweet girl you always were." He leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"Thanks, daddy," I whispered and snuggled into his chest for a moment before pushing away. "Okay, enough mushy crap. We're Swans for crying out loud. What do you want for dinner?"

~~{SoF}~~

"_Bells, look who is here." My dad announced, gently touching my arm._

_I groggily turned my head to see Edward standing in the doorway to my hospital room._

"_Ewar'?" I slurred. I groaned on the inside. I had a love-hate relationship with the morphine drip I was on. It made the incessant pounding of my head bearable, but I was higher than a kite. I was also on a plethora of other IV antibiotics for my head wound and the subsequent meningitis infection I'd picked up, so my stomach churned constantly, too._

_Edward flashed his crooked smile at me. "Hey, Bella. I brought your yearbook. Everyone signed it for you."_

"_Thanks," I replied in a hoarse voice._

"_I'm going to grab a cup of coffee real quick. Okay, Bella?" my dad asked._

_I hummed in agreement and he patted my non-IV'd hand before leaving. Edward moved closer and took my dad's seat. He eyed the bandage covering my forehead._

"_How are you feeling?" he softly spoke._

"_I've felt…" I blinked, trying to find the right word. "Um…" I trailed off and furrowed my brow in frustration. "Good? No, not good." My chin trembled as tears stung my eyes. Why couldn't I think of the right word?_

"_Better?" he suggested._

"_Mhmm. Better. I've felt better." I winced when I attempted to nod. "Sorry, I get confused sometimes."_

_He reached out and covered my hand in his warm one. "It's okay, Bella. We all do, at least you have a good excuse," he joked._

_My lips quirked up in a tiny smile. "You drove far just to see me."_

"_Seattle isn't that long of a drive. Not like I had anything big going on this weekend anyway."_

_I studied him for a moment. Tousled auburn hair, straight nose, strong jaw, and startlingly bright green eyes. "So pretty," I murmured and then blushed when he chuckled at me. "Didn't mean to say that out loud."_

"_No worries. You're pretty gorgeous yourself."_

_I made a dismissive sound in response. My eyes drifted closed involuntarily and when I reopened them I had no idea how long I'd been out. "Sorry, Edward. The meds make me sleepy."_

_He ran his hand down my hair. "No problem, baby. You need to rest so you can heal, okay?" He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. For that moment my pain went away and then the darkness washed back over me._

I jerked upright in bed, breathing erratically. I had very few memories of my time at the hospital in Port Angeles and the early days at Seattle Children's. What I could remember was hazy and none of them contained Edward. It was odd that this dream resonated so deeply within me.

I looked across the room to my bookshelf and the yearbooks there. I threw back my covers and walked over to pluck my senior yearbook up. I'd been told he had brought my yearbook, but I had no recollection. I flipped the pages to where Edward's inscription was written.

_Bella,_

_Hurry up and come find me at Dartmouth. I need you to keep me on my game. Plus, you owe me a date to make up for prom, pretty girl. I'll see you in the Fall._

_Yours,_

_Edward_

I'd never made it to Dartmouth. Once I was well enough to be released from the hospital, I did a year of rehab in Phoenix and lived with my mom. To this day, the kind of concentration needed for school was very difficult for me. My brain short-circuited and I ended up with a killer migraine. It had been hell just to finish the last of my schoolwork to get my high school diploma.

I glanced through some of the other pages for a few minutes before setting it aside and lying back down to try to fall back asleep.

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**How are we doing? Reviews = Love.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is a thank you/birthday present for imarieswancullen over at the TwiFanFictionRecs blog (google to get the site)! She's so amazingly awesome and has pimped all my stories and made such beautiful banners for several of them. I can't thank her enough, so this is my small way of giving back. She asked for an ExB high school reunion tale with LawyerWard and BakerElla. It's broken into chaplets given the length this turned out to be. 7 in total.  
**

**Didn't IMSC make the best banner for this? **

**Here you go, doll! I hope you like it! *fingers crossed***

**A HUGE thank you to my lovely beta, AngelaRaex. She's the best and I tell her that all the time.**

**This is the last update for today. After such an amazing response, I couldn't help but give in to the masses. Let's meet present day Edward, shall we?**

**I'm not Stephenie Meyer. *gasp***

* * *

"Come on, Bella. You can do this. It's no big deal and if it sucks then you leave and go back to Seattle early." I tried to sound convincing as I stared myself down in the rearview mirror.

But my personal pep talk was not enough to haul my ass out of the sanctuary of my car. I glared at the school that was mocking me with its doors. Stupid reunion.

My stomach growled violently. Stupid stomach and my ridiculous plan to deny myself breakfast in order to force myself to go inside and eat the damn pancakes.

I took one last glance in the mirror, took a deep breath, made sure my hair was still arranged properly, and then got out of the car. I didn't give myself a chance to think, I just walked through the doors.

Once inside, I stood off to the side for a moment and watched the students and random adults finishing set up and getting the line started to serve. I thought I recognized a couple people, but couldn't be quite sure.

Tentatively, I approached the check-in table. The dark-haired girl didn't even bother looking up.

"Name?" I thought she said.

"Um, Bella Swan."

Her head snapped up and she gaped at me. "Bella Swan? Oh my, God, you actually came? You like, dropped off the face of the planet!"

"I'm sorry, who are you?" She seemed vaguely familiar, but had obviously had work done and not well.

"Alice Brandon-Whitlock," she sneered. "Why are you talking like that? You sound weird."

I slapped my money on the table and grabbed a ticket and name tag. "Well, you look weird. At least I can just not speak and no one would know." Alice's jaw dropped and she made this spluttering, gagging noise of disbelief.

"Bitch," I mumbled under my breath as I strode off.

No longer hungry, I sat at an empty table near sectioned off area where the kids were fumbling through their attempts to make pancakes. They had two griddles toward the back and a line of tables from which to pick up the pancakes and assortment of toppings. A couple of them were arguing about the correct length of time to cook each side. One girl attempted flipping a pancake over with total failure.

"Would you like some help?" I offered.

"Huh? Oh, no. You're an alum, just have fun. We should have the pancakes up soon." She glanced at the now burned bread and mumbled something.

I chuckled and moved behind the griddle. "Here, let me. I'm pretty good, I have my own bakery."

"You do? That's really cool. I'm not so hot at this. Obviously." She pushed her glasses up. "But I'm class president, so I thought I should be helping."

"No worries, I can handle this. Would you like to learn?" I gave an encouraging smile. "I bet we could even make crepes, too. If we wanted to get fancy."

Her eyes grew round. "We could?"

"Sure, it's easy."

Thirty minutes later when the big rush hit, we had piles of delightful breakfast offerings and Angela, as she introduced herself, was even flipping pancakes at the second griddle station. Not quite like a pro, but still good enough.

"I want shocolate ships!" a tiny voice announced. I spied a small, brown headed and very green-eyed girl peering up at me and holding a plate expectantly.

Startled, I asked. "How did you get back here? Where are your parents?"

"Daddy went potty. Have you seen dat line? I can't wait in dat. Too hungwy." She gestured behind her.

"Would you like your chocolate chips in a pancake or crepe?' I asked seriously and held back my smile.

"What's a cape? Are shocolate ships good in 'em?" she lisped.

This time I did smile. "A crepe is a very, very thin pancake and chocolate chips are the best in them. I can melt them inside and roll it up for you."

"'Kay," she answered with a firm nod. I went to work, pouring the batter and smoothing it out over the griddle into a thin sheet. Her fierce green eyes studied me for a moment before she grinned, showing me her missing two front teeth.

Once the batter was cooked enough, I sprinkled a handful of chocolate chips and gently spread them as they melted. She bounced on her toes when I rolled it up and placed it on her plate. "Shank you!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"Maggie, there you are! Honey, you scared me. You can't go running off like that." Wild auburn hair came into my vision as a guy swooped down to hug the little girl.

I froze in place. I couldn't mistake that hair ever. He turned and looked up at me. "I hope she wasn't bothering… Bella?"

Suddenly, I was engulfed by Edward squeezing me tightly. Without even thinking, my body melted into his and my arms automatically wrapped around him. "I can't believe you're here," he whispered close to my ear.

He pulled back as his daughter avidly watched our exchange. "Come eat with us. We have so much to catch up on."

"I-I'm helping," I waved my hand toward the griddles. He furrowed his brow for a split second, but smoothed the wrinkles quickly.

"That's okay, you've done more than you should have had to," Angela interjected and shooed me off.

I picked up a plate with a small stack of pancakes and allowed Edward and Maggie to lead the way. As they headed into the more crowded area, I placed a hand on Edward's elbow. He looked at me.

"Could we sit over there?" I pointed to a couple of empty tables on the fringes. He paused but nodded and changed direction.

As soon as we were seated, Maggie dug into her crepe, humming and muttering about how good it was. I chanced a look at Edward and found him staring at me. I crammed a bite of pancake into my mouth.

I swallowed and finally spoke. "Will your wife know where to look for you?"

"Daddy's not mawied, I don't have a mommy. I'm 'dop-ed." Maggie piped up.

"A-dopted," Edward grinned and she gave him a withering glare.

"Dat's what I said." She looked back at me. "My weal mommy and daddy are in heaven."

I gasped, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't-" I looked at Edward in horror.

He smiled and put his arm around Maggie, snuggling her close. "It's okay, Bella. She understands, don't you, Magpie? We've always been completely honest and talked about this a lot. Her parents were in a terrible car accident when Maggie was just twenty months old. After I made sure the guy who hit them was put in prison, I couldn't walk away from her." He pressed a kiss into her shiny, chestnut hair. "I knew she was meant to be mine."

My heart clenched at the sight of Edward with this adorable little girl. Who totally could have been his given the color of her eyes. "How old are you, Maggie?"

"I'm five!" she proudly told me and held up her hand. "Why do you sound funny when you talk?" Maggie asked with child-like innocence.

"Maggie!" Edward chastised. "That wasn't a polite way of asking your question."

I knew my voice wasn't quite the same as before. It was a little flatter – my intonation was slightly off. I also had a touch more nasal quality than typical speech. It wasn't something I noticed, but speech therapists and my family had told me when I asked. Nothing huge, but enough to be discernable to others.

"Bella's voice sounds different from what you're used to because she has a hearing loss. Don't you, Bella?" He looked up at me with a meaningful expression. He wanted me to confirm his hunch. He wanted to know what happened.

I gave a small nod. "Sort of. I'm actually deaf."

"Deaf?" Maggie parroted.

"Mhmm. A long time ago, I was very sick and one of the things that happened because of it was losing my hearing completely."

"How can you heaw what I say, den?"

"I have what's called a cochlear implant." I reached up and pulled off one of my processors to show her. She perked up, examining what looked like a sleek, but large hearing aid with a cord attached to a thin round disc a little larger around than a quarter.

"There's an internal piece I had surgery for to put in my ear and I wear this to pick up sounds around me and then the piece inside tells my brain. I have one for each ear." I was oversimplifying it, but that was the basic gist. "I read lips a lot, too."

"Cool!"

I put my processor back on and was assaulted with sound from that side again. I focused on my food; unable to take the pitying look Edward was giving me. "Stop looking at me like that, Edward."

One of his large hands settled over my small one and I raised my eyes. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just confused. When I visited you in Seattle, you could still hear."

"A lot of things changed after the meningitis ran its course." I sighed, feeling drained all of a sudden. "I don't really want to talk about it right now."

Edward nodded and gave a gentle squeeze of my hand before he released it. We both went back to our breakfast, Maggie oblivious to the unanswered questions hanging heavy in the air.

"Well, I should get going." I stood and picked up my plate. "Thanks for letting me sit with you. It was very nice to meet you, Maggie."

I made it a few steps away before Edward caught my arm. "Bella, please. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just – I was so happy to see you again. I've always wondered what happened to you. Why I never found you at Dartmouth." He suddenly brushed his fingertips along my cheek. "I missed you, Bella. I would like to catch up. My parents can watch Maggie for a few hours so we could have some time together?"

Something inside me twisted at the desperation in his voice and expression. The intensity in his eyes was knee weakening. I found myself nodding before I comprehended it. "Okay, Edward. Why don't we meet up this afternoon?"

"I'll pick you up at two," he smiled. Of course, it had to be that sexy lopsided smile that always killed me when we were growing up.

"Do you remember where my dad's house is?"

"Of course, Bella. Can't forget where my favorite girl lived. Well, tied for favorite now," he replied and glanced back at Maggie.

* * *

**I'm an audiologist, so I have knowledge of but not experience with actual hearing loss and cochlear implants. But I can map the hell out of them! :o)(And yes, I'm aware that Bella's speech would very likely not be impaired given her 17 years of normal hearing and speech and implanted very quickly after her hearing loss. But this is fanfiction!) So how is everyone feeling?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Should have been posted hours ago, but RL, ya know? Only update for the day. 2 tomorrow, last one on Monday! **

**This is a thank you/birthday present for imarieswancullen over at the TwiFanFictionRecs blog (google to get the site)! She's so amazingly awesome and has pimped all my stories and made such beautiful banners for several of them. I can't thank her enough, so this is my small way of giving back **

**Didn't IMSC make the best banner for this? **

**All the reviews/alerts/recs are blowing my mind! You guys are awesome!  
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As I sat on the old, beat-up but comfy-cushy living room couch in my dad's house, I bounced my leg in anticipation of Edward arriving and looked out the front window for the millionth time.

My dad sighed and shook his head as I distracted him again from the football game on television. "Take a breath, Bells. I don't know why you're so stressed out about this. You have a crush on this kid or something? Do I need to start cleaning my guns?"

I rolled my eyes. "Stop it, dad. We're just going to catch up. We were only friends growing up, nothing more. I'm nervous about having to tell my story. I don't want to get emotional about it, you know?"

"Bella-"

"He's here!" I jumped up as I saw a Volvo SUV pull into the drive.

"Give the boy a chance to come to the door." My dad ordered and I ignored. He grabbed the back of my shirt with a smirk. "If that boy wants to take out my daughter, he needs to walk up and collect you properly."

"I already told you it's not a date, dad!"

The doorbell rang and I cursed. Edward didn't need to come all the way up just for me. It was silly. My dad released my shirt and I instantly toppled over and ended up sprawled on the floor.

He chuckled and walked around me. "It's a shame about your balance, baby girl. I'll get the door."

"Crap. Dad, stop." I scrambled to get up. I heard the door open.

"Edward Cullen," my dad's voice boomed. "I understand you're here to take out my daughter. Is that right?"

"Hello, Chief Swan, Yes, that was the p-plan." Edward stammered as I finally popped up from behind the couch.

"Quit it, dad," I scolded and hurried over to where they stood in the entryway. "Put away the cop voice. You aren't interrogating him. Edward is not a criminal."

"It's alright, Bella. I'd act the same way with Maggie. He's protecting you."

My dad grunted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"He's being ridiculous," I said glaring at my dad. I turned and smiled at Edward. "Ready to go?"

"Absolutely."

He drove us over to Pacific Pizza to grab ice cream before heading over to Tilicum Park. We found a picnic table and instead of sitting on the bench, he surprised me by climbing up on top of the table and then helped settle me next to him.

We ate in amicable silence for a few minutes when he turned to me. "Why didn't you ever come to Dartmouth, Bella?"

I cleared my throat softly and kept my eyes on my chocolate ice cream. "I couldn't. I could barely finish my high school diploma after I was sick. I lost my hearing and had terrible balance issues. I was in physical therapy for a year. I had my cochlear implant surgeries a month after my infection was cleared. Aural rehab and speech therapy for three years to learn how to listen again and perfect my speech as much as I could. I still have trouble finding words sometimes and I would never be able to concentrate to learn the way I would have to do earn my degree. I get migraines simply from reading a book."

A wave of exhaustion washed over me. Thinking back on everything drained me, even though I was in a much better place now. Still, I would continuously have to expend extra energy to follow conversations, given my hearing loss. I would always mourn the need to listen to audio books instead of feeling the crisp paper under my fingertips and the smell of a book filling my nose. And most of the time, I brushed it off when someone looked at me with surprise or disdain for not having a college degree.

I paused to take a breath and looked up at Edward. His face was stunned. I quickly changed the subject, eager to move off of the topic. "So what have you been up to the past ten years? What medical specialty did you choose?"

He opened his mouth and then shut it before trying again. "I didn't. I went to law school instead."

I swallowed a large bite by mistake and winced at the coldness. "But you've always wanted to be a doctor. What happened?"

"How much do you remember about your accident? The time you spent in the hospital?"

"Pretty much nothing. I don't remember the car crash at all and I only have solid memories starting a few weeks after arriving at Seattle Children's."

"Do you remember me visiting you?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so. My dad told me you came and brought my yearbook."

Edward looked out at the surrounding woods. A small smile lifted his lips. "You called me pretty and then told me you didn't mean to say that out loud."

I inhaled sharply. "Did…did you…kiss me?"

He cut his eyes over to me. "You remember that?"

"Sort of. I have this reoccurring dream of you in the hospital and the last thing you do before it always fades away, is kiss me. Did that really happen, Edward?"

He nodded slowly. I pressed my lips together to keep from grinning like a loon. Edward truly had been my first kiss. That small fact made me happier than I would have believed. It was silly and stupid to still harbor feelings for a boy I hadn't seen in ten years, but I'd always compared every other guy against Edward. No one had measured up.

"You had a seizure right after."

It was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over me. I was informed I'd had three seizures when I was in the hospital, but I had no idea Edward had witnessed one of them. I wanted to crawl under the table and die. I knew I went into jerking motions, likely starting spitting and drooling, and…

"Did I piss the bed when it happened?"

"Bella, it wasn't something you could control," Edward gently said.

"Fuck," I whispered and buried my face in my hands as hot humiliation stung me. How mortifying that Edward of all people had seen me like that. "I'm sorry you saw that. That it made you not want to go to med school."

Edward lifted his hand to tilt my face back up. "That had nothing to do with it. Yes, I was terrified _for you_. But that's not why I didn't become a doctor. What were you told about the car accident?"

"Just that the other person driving drifted into my lane and I swerved to miss him. I hit a tree and smacked my head against the side window hard enough to cause trauma." I shrugged, not understanding what the big deal was. Those kind of things happened all the time.

"The reason the other person driving went into your lane was because he was fucking high. Like coked out of his mind. And he didn't get a scratch on him."

I felt the air leave my lungs. "I had no idea. My parents never told me."

"Did they tell you who it was?" he asked angrily and I shook my head. "Jacob Black. He almost fucking killed you and all he had to do was a hundred hours of community service. That asshole should have been rotting in jail, but didn't even see the inside of a courtroom. His lawyer cut a deal. A really fucking good one. Probably helped that his dad is chief on the res."

"Oh," was my lame reply. I should have been furious, but the whole thing was so long ago and I'd overcome most of my residual issues to be able to lead a fulfilling life that I just didn't have it in me.

"I wasn't aware. But you can't change the past, so there's no use dwelling on it."

"Yeah, well, I made it my life's mission to make sure true justice is brought to someone who so carelessly acts that way now. Maggie's parents were killed by a drunk driver who blew three times the legal limit."

Whoa. That was…really, really, _really_ drunk.

"Are you happy, Edward? With your profession and life in general?"

He smiled and bobbed his head. "I am. I might not have gotten into my field for the usual reasons, but I do love it. And Maggie is the best thing ever. She's softened me and lightened my soul in ways I didn't think were possible." He fiddled with his cup before setting it aside. "She, uh, she's always made me think she's what our daughter would have looked like if we'd had one. Your brown hair and my green eyes."

My heart pounded like a stampede. If he thought that, then he'd thought about us being together, romantically. Having sex to make said baby. Oh, God, now I was wet thinking about that, too. I let my gaze flutter from tree to tree.

"Where did you go to law school?" I diverted, not ready to have that conversation.

"I went to Harvard Law," he told me proudly.

I giggled. "Overachiever as always."

"Shut it, Swan. It was harder than it should have been. I wasn't used to not having you there, kicking my ass on tests to keep me motivated." His smile faded as he looked at me.

"Don't give me that face, Cullen. Don't pity me," I practically growled. "I have a good life. I'm happy. I own a bakery in Seattle. I'm doing quite well for myself."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He blurted out.

I snorted. I hadn't had a boyfriend since opening the bakery four years ago. I had a vibrator. A really, really expensive one. With accessories.

"No, I don't have a boyfriend. Do you? Have a girlfriend, I mean. Or a boyfriend. You might have examined other options in the last ten years." I shot him a playful smirk.

"No boyfriend," he laughed. "No girlfriend either. It's difficult with Maggie. I have to very careful who I let into our lives."

"Yes, I suppose that would be a bit more complicated."

"She's quite taken with you. Told me to "get the deets on you." Whatever that means." We both chuckled and he reached up to slide his fingers through a lock of my hair. "She said you were very pretty. She loves your hair."

Our eyes locked for a moment and then suddenly he was kissing me.

Hand cradling my head, lips molded to mine, tongue begging entrance. When I opened up for him, I tasted vanilla and caramel. It was heaven. I melted into his body, fisting my hands into his silky hair. Edward gathered me closer as we continued to make-out like teenagers.

Suddenly, I was straddling him right there on the picnic table. His hands found my hips and I ground down onto the distinct hardness pressed intimately against my core. A moan vibrated in my throat as pleasure sparked through my body. He slowly kissed along my jaw and suckled the column of my throat. He thrust up while pressing my hips down onto his own.

"Edward!" I cried out at feeling how close he was getting me. "I'll come if you keep doing that," I whimpered.

"Fuck yes," he groaned and rubbed against me again. "Let me please you, baby."

I trembled in his arms. He eased me back and I grabbed at him, wanting to keep him close. "It's okay. Just let me." With one hand firmly holding my hip, he used the other to unzip my jeans and slid his fingers inside my panties. Who knew letting Edward get me off in the middle of a public park would get me dripping wet? I'd never had outdoor exhibitionist urges before, but for Edward, I'd let him do anything, anytime, anywhere.

I let out a breathy, high-pitched sigh when he sank two fingers into me. There wasn't much room for him to move, but I didn't need that. He rubbed the heel of his palm against my clit and I clenched around him.

"God, Bella. You feel so fucking good. Hot and wet and tight," Edward murmured. "Will you come for me, baby?" He caressed his free hand up to cup my jaw. "I want to give you that. To watch you shatter in my arms."

Edward's eyes never left mine while he worked my pussy with his hand. It should have been awkward and uncomfortable to watch one another like that, but it wasn't. It was intense and wonderful and made me want to cry with joy. When I did come a few moments later, his name fell from my lips over and over as I shook and shuddered.

I collapsed onto his chest and he wrapped his free arm around me. "Jesus, why didn't we ever do that in high school?"

His laugh vibrated through me and I lifted my head. He gently removed his hand from my pants. "Because I was too chicken shit to ask you out. I doubt I would have been as adept back in high school. Lots more fumbling, but it would have been fun to learn with you."

I rubbed my palm along his erection and Edward groaned. "My turn to return the favor," I said, with unfortunate timing. There was a low rumble of thunder and the skies opened up, dumping water on us. I shrieked and we scrambled to get to his car.

"Leave it to Fork's weather to ruin our fun." I pushed my damp hair back from my face and looked at Edward. "Well, I guess now we get to pretend we're back in high school and sneaking around so we don't get caught by our parents."

Edward looked dumbfounded. "Huh?"

I smirked and put my hand on his button fly, yanking it open. I licked my lips at the bulge now prominently displayed. "Haven't you ever gotten a blowjob in your car?"

Before he could say anything, I reached inside his boxers and sprung free his erection. Edward moaned loudly and laid his head back on the headrest. I ran my tongue along the length of his member and felt him buck his hips slightly when I closed my lips around him.

I sucked and licked and lapped at his cock, making Edward fill his car with vibrating groans. He slipped one hand into my hair, fingers tightening around the locks in a way that drove me wild with desire. It spurred me to take him deeper and hum with his cock in my mouth.

"Fuck!" he shouted and his grip became almost painfully tight. I readied myself for his explosion and wasn't disappointed as he came in large spurts that I swallowed quickly. Finally, his body relaxed beneath me and I sat up again.

"Jesus, that was fucking incredible," Edward sighed with his eyes lazily half-closed.

Suddenly, I wasn't sure where we stood. Was this a 'for old time's sake' kind of thing? I knew it wasn't for me, but Edward hadn't made any declarations.

As if he could read my mind, Edward turned to look at me. I was a startled to see such blatant caring and devotion in his eyes. He leaned over and kissed me gently for a moment.

"Bella," Edward quietly said when he pulled back. "Would you want to go with Maggie and me to the pep rally bonfire tomorrow night? I'd really like for you to get to know her."

"That sounds wonderful. I'd enjoy that." I smiled at him, happiness dancing in my stomach. He wanted me to get to know his daughter. That had to be a good sign, right?

We drove back to my house in comfortable silence. He walked me back up to the door, holding an umbrella over our heads. "Edward, I forgot to ask, where do you live now?"

He quirked one side of his lips up. "Chicago."

My heart dropped to my feet. Chicago. That was nowhere near Seattle and I couldn't simply up and leave. "Oh."

"Well, until November. I'm transferring to our Seattle office. I wanted to be closer to my parents so Maggie would grow up with them."

"Oh," I said again, this time with a silly grin. November was two weeks away. I could definitely deal with that.

"Yeah, 'Oh.' I'm not letting you get away this time, baby." He leaned in and kissed me until I was breathless. "See you tomorrow, Bella."

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	5. Chapter 5

**You guys...there are no words, seriously! **

**Update 1 of 2 for today. Hope you like it!**

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**I'm not Stephenie Meyer. *gasp***

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The next day I went to the Thriftway around mid-morning to gather the ingredients for my specialty chocolate chip cookies. I thought an offering for Maggie would help keep me in her good graces. I was in the baking isle when a cart was pushed over to where I stood browsing the selection.

"Hello, Bella. So good to see you again!" Mrs. Cullen greeted me with a friendly smile.

Maggie grinned up at me from the cart she was pushing. "Hi, Bella!"

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen, Maggie. How funny meeting you two here." I shifted on my feet.

Butterflies emerged from their cocoons in my stomach as I was face to face with Edward's mother. I'd met her a few times at random school functions and once at their house when we were doing a group project for biology class. But we'd never interacted much and I'd tried to lay low given my feelings for Edward back then. And now, it appeared.

"Oh, Bella. Call me Esme, sweetheart," she politely corrected.

Yeah, like that was going to happen.

"What doin'?" Maggie inquired and I couldn't help but smile.

"I was getting ingredients to make cookies. I thought I might bring some for you tonight."

"Yay!" she cheered. "What kind? Shocolate ship's my fav-rite."

"That's exactly what I was going to make. Did you know I have my own bakery in Seattle? I've been told I make pretty awesome chocolate chip cookies." I winked at her and she giggled.

"You should come make them at our house," Esme suggested. "I know Charlie hasn't updated his appliances in years and we re-did our kitchen three years ago. I'm sure you'll get better results with our oven."

Shit. She did have a point. I didn't exactly trust the oven at home to keep the proper temperature throughout the baking process. I could end up with burned or raw cookies if I wasn't careful.

"Please, Bella? I can help. I'm a e'cellent helper." Maggie looked so darn cute and hopeful I didn't have the heart to say no.

"Alright, then. What time should I come over?"

"Just follow us home, sweetheart. We'll have plenty of time for baking and catching up. Edward hasn't stopped talking about you since he found you at the pancake breakfast."

I widened my eyes at this news. "Oh, I didn't realize."

Esme chuckled. "It's adorable. Reminds me of high school and the crush he had on you." I felt a moment of astonishment at that revelation before her smile faded. "Such a shame you had that accident right when he finally worked up the nerve to ask you to prom. He was devastated when he heard what happened. Of course, your recovery was much more difficult, but look at you now! So beautiful and from what I hear very successful, too."

I flushed at her words. They both thrilled and embarrassed me. I wanted to do a happy dance when she said Edward had a crush on me all those years go, but I was also flustered that she praised me. I was never good at accepting compliments.

"Actually, we can drop your car off at your house and then bring you over so you won't have to worry about it when it's time for the pep rally tonight." Esme continued.

"Wait, what? I would be at your house all day! I'm sure you don't want me around for that long. And my dad can't cook at all, I was planning on making us dinner." I protested.

She was trying to pick me up like some little, lost puppy. And I didn't want to end up 'shitting all over the carpet' and wearing out my welcome. Edward would lose his mind if he had to entertain me all day.

"That's fine! I'll let Charlie know to come over for dinner. It will be fun!" She took the small basket I had in my hands and dumped the contents into her cart. Then she hooked her arm around mine and led me off to the check out with Maggie babbling about baking cookies and showing me her room at Grandma's house.

Maggie was so excited to 'surprise' her Daddy with me she refused to let me give him any kind of a heads up. Even going so far as to take my cell from me when they followed me to my house so I could leave my car.

She was almost vibrating as we walked into the Cullen's lovely (and huge) home. "Daddy! Daddy!" she screamed as she raced inside.

There was a loud commotion as I stepped into the foyer and saw Maggie had crashed into Edward and knocked him into the wall. "Magpie, what's the deal? Why are you so worked up?" he laughed and scooped her up.

Maggie pointed to me standing behind his mother. "We bwought a s'prise!"

His eyes focused on me and a slow, crooked smile drifted across his face. "That is an excellent surprise, sweetheart." He walked over to us and kissed both his mom and me on the cheek.

"Ooooh!" Maggie squealed. "Bella's gonna make cookies wif me!"

"Is that right? Sounds like a great idea. Why don't you and grandma go get everything set up in the kitchen?" He set her back down with a little ruffle to her hair. She grabbed Esme's hand and pulled her away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intru-"

I was cut off by Edward's mouth on mine and I grasped at his shoulders as he pressed me against the door and shoved his tongue in my mouth. I hummed at his taste and my brain finally kicked in for me to respond. When I did, his fingers tightened on my waist before sliding down to grope my ass.

I pulled him closer, needing to feel his body flush with mine. Suddenly, he jumped as if startled and jerked his head to look over his shoulder while dropping his arms. I followed his gaze and one of my hands flew over my heart in fright as I saw Edward's father standing behind us.

Edward rubbed a soothing circle on my lower back. "Sorry, Bella," he murmured, "I guess you didn't hear my dad clear his throat." He narrowed his eyes at his father.

"That's okay, it can be pretty easy to sneak up on me," I said in a slightly trembling voice.

"I apologize, Bella. That was thoughtless of me," Mr. Cullen replied.

I smiled. He had always been so polite. "No problem. It's nice to see you again, Mr. Cullen." I moved to step around Edward and shake his hand, but I tripped over air and almost flattened all three of us.

Edward smirked as he held my waist to steady me. "You okay there, baby?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Get over yourself, Cullen. My balance system is shot. It has nothing to do with you."

His father burst into loud laughter. "You were always so good at keeping him grounded, Bella. I'm glad you're back. And, please, call me Carlisle."

I gave a small nod as Maggie came stomping around the corner. "C'mon, Bella!" she demanded in an exasperated voice and her hands on her hips.

"Uh-uh, Maggie. That is not the correct attitude to have when someone is offering to do something fun and special with you." Edward responded immediately.

"Sowy, Daddy." Maggie whispered.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, young lady."

She looked up at me with a trembling lip. "Sowy, Bella."

"Thank you, Maggie. Should we go?" I held out my hand to her and she beamed as she took it.

Not longer after, we had all of the ingredients lined up and measured out. After combining the dry ingredients we went to work throwing together the wet ones.

I leaned over conspiratorially. "Okay, Maggie, do you want to know my secret for the best chocolate chip cookies ever?"

"Yeah!" she nodded furiously.

I grinned. "Listen carefully, most recipes call for one teaspoon of vanilla extract, right? Well, I take a half-teaspoon of vanilla and a half-teaspoon of almond extract instead. Gives the cookies the tiniest extra kick of sweetness without being too much."

Maggie snorted. "Bella, you can't have 'oo sweet. Not pobible." I guffawed at her directness. I loved how kids could never get enough sweetness.

I let her stir in the chocolate chips when the time came and lick the spoon at the end. We sat at the breakfast bar while the cookies baked.

"Bella?" Maggie asked with a mischievous smile.

"Mhmm?"

"What's your fa-vite color?"

"Green. What's yours?"

"Yellow. What's your bakwy name?"

"Duck and Goose Bakery."

"Huh? Why? Dat's weiwd." She wrinkled her nose and I laughed.

"Well, because my business partner is a big, silly goose, and my last name is Swan, so I'm the ugly duckling who turned into a swan."

"You're not ugly. You're pwetty!"

"Thank you, sweetheart, but we thought Duck and Goose sounded better than Swan and Goose."

"Hmm." She paused for a beat. "Bella?"

"Yes, Maggie?" I lifted my glass of water to my lips.

"Were you my daddy's girlfwiend in high school?"

I choked on the sip I'd just taken. "Um, no, sweetie. We were just friends."

"Why? You didn't want to be?"

I barked out a nervous laugh. "Oh, I did. But I was shy and very unsure of myself back then. I was afraid if I told your dad how I felt he might not feel the same and would stop being my friend."

She did not look impressed. "Daddy wouldn't do dat."

"I know that now, but I didn't back then. Hard to believe, but when you become a teenager you sometimes do silly things that don't make sense even if you think they do."

"I won't do dat," she confidently announced.

I chuckled. "I'm sure you won't." The timer went off for the first round of cookies and I pulled the tray to see perfectly baked golden brown cookies. I placed them on a cooling rack and then popped the other into the oven.

"Bella? Are you my daddy's girlfwiend now?"

I froze with my back to her. Was I Edward's girlfriend? I mean, he had put his hand down my pants and seemed to enjoy kissing me, but it's not like he'd ever used the term. I hadn't either.

"I…don't know." I picked up a cookie that was just cool enough to be edible and turned around to give it her. A little bribery never hurt. "I have strong feelings for him, but we haven't talked about being girlfriend and boyfriend. Would it bother you if I was?"

She munched happily on the cookie. "Mmm! This is weally, weally good! Soooo yuumy." She took another bite and her eyes sparkled with delight at me.

"Thanks, sweetheart. You were the best helper I've ever had."

Maggie grinned proudly. "You can be his giwlfwiend. It's okay."

"I'm glad you approve. Your opinion means a lot to your daddy, and to me." I bit into my own cookie. "I'm sure your dad will tell you if we do decide to be boyfriend and girlfriend."

She gulped down the milk sitting front of her in one fell swoop and then placed the cup back down with a small clank. "Do you love him?"

My heart stumbled and stuttered in my chest. _Do I love him?_ I was certain I had been in love with him in high school. And now… well, if what I felt wasn't love, I didn't know what to call it. It was ridiculously fast, but how I felt in high school hadn't faded, I simply locked it away.

I opened my mouth to speak, not quite believing I was going to tell her before Edward, but she had asked and I didn't want to be dishonest.

"That's not an acceptable question for you to ask Bella, Magpie," Edward interrupted and walked into the kitchen. My cheeks burned as I wondered how much he had overheard. "Bella has a right to keep her feelings to herself until she's ready to share them without being interrogated by a small, green-eyed pixie."

She giggled and looked at me sheepishly. I winked at her. "It's okay, I enjoyed our little chat."

"Why don't you go pick out a movie to watch in the basement?" Edward suggested and she gleefully ran off. "Sorry, Bella. She's very curious about you, and you and me. I thought we had talked about it enough, but I guess not. She didn't ask you anything else inappropriate, did she?"

Heat flushed my face again. "She asked if I was your girlfriend. I told her we hadn't talked about that."

He sighed softly. "I'm sorry, I hope she didn't make you uncomfortable."

"No, she was great. Very sweet about it, actually."

He rubbed his hands over his face. "Maggie has recently become quite interested in having a mother. I think it's being in kindergarten and seeing the other moms helping out. It's fun having dad show up, but there's a part of her looking for that female role model."

I stared at him in shock.

"I'm not saying this to freak you out, but I wanted you to know where she's coming from. That was another reason for the move. I hoped my mom would help fill the gap somewhat."

I slowly nodded and bit my lower lip. My heart started to race as I worked up the nerve to ask my question. "So…am I your girlfriend?"

He flashed me a shy, boyish smile. "Do you want to be?"

Again, I nodded, but kept my gaze on the floor.

"Good, because I've been dying to be your boyfriend for the past fifteen years."

I gasped and whipped my head up. "Fifteen years?" Clearly, I had misheard.

He shrugged and using slow steps moved toward me. "Give or take a few months. It was the end of eighth grade you wore this pretty purple and green sundress to school one day and I was so turned on. That was the first time I popped an erection in public. Fortunately, over time I got better at hiding them." He brushed his fingertips up and down my arms, causing me to break out in goose bumps.

"After that day, my feelings for you changed overnight. I'd always liked your company, but I started noticing how beautiful you'd become and your body developing soft, female curves. Curves my hands itched to touch."

He shifted his feather light caresses to my hips, up my waist, and along the sides of my breasts. A quiet moan rumbled in my throat and he stepped closer. I could feel the heat from his body as he held himself just inches away.

"I never picked up on any cues from you that you felt the same and was too scared of being rejected. But, God, I wanted you. You were the star of every single fantasy and I'm embarrassed to admit how often I jacked off thinking of all the forbidden things I wanted to do with you."

He kissed me hard and I let him assault my mouth in the most wonderful way.

When he pulled back, I was dazed and all I could think was _I love this man_.

Edward gasped.

"Fuck. I said that out loud, didn't I?" I whispered and he nodded, still stunned. "I'm sorry, Edward. I don't – that is, I didn't mean... Shit, I – please don't freak out. I don't expect you to say it back, obviously. We can just pretend I didn't have a total brain fail and say that out loud. Never happened."

He dropped his head in the crook of my neck and started mumbling something into my skin. I placed my hands on his cheeks and yanked his head up.

"I can't understand you like that, Edward. Please, just tell me I haven't ruined everything," I begged, feeling tears sting my eyes.

He kissed me again. In a wild and frantic manner. Like he was drawing the air he needed to breathe from me. Finally, he pulled back as we both panted for air. "Silly, beautiful, crazy girl. I love you. I love you, Bella. I have since high school and I know it's insane to tell you this when we only met up again yesterday, but my whole being is screaming not to let you go. _Ever_."

He paused in his rambling to draw breath and I blinked slowly. "I'm terrified you'll disappear again if I let you out of my sight for even a second. Baby, you have my heart, you always have. If it wasn't completely deranged, I'd ask you to move with us when we officially move here in two weeks."

I pressed my fingers to his lips and he stopped babbling. A soft smile played at my lips. "I love you, too, Edward. I want… everything with you, and Maggie."

His answering smile was tremulous. "So does that mean you'll go to prom with me?"

"Prom? Um, Edward, sweetie, that happened ten years ago."

"Yes," he laughed, "but the reunion prom is two nights from now."

"Oh, right." I blinked and then grinned. "Yes, I'll go to prom with you."

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***claps hands and jumps up and down* Awww, they're in love! How about leaving me some in return?  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Best readers ever! :o)**

**This is a thank you/birthday present for imarieswancullen over at the TwiFanFictionRecs blog (google to get the site)! She's so amazingly awesome and has pimped all my stories and made such beautiful banners for several of them. I can't thank her enough, so this is my small way of giving back.  
**

**Didn't IMSC make the best banner for this? **

**A HUGE thank you to my lovely beta, AngelaRaex. She's the best and I tell her that all the time.**

**I'm not Stephenie Meyer. *gasp* Same goes for John Mayer and yes, I really do dislike him and think his music sucks. It's prom time!  
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The next two days flew by in a crazy whirl of spending time with Edward and Maggie and attending reunion functions. I was completely enamored with Maggie and from everything she said and did, it appeared the feeling was mutual. Esme, Maggie, and I managed to run up to Port Angeles to buy dress for my second chance at prom. I felt a little ridiculous, but I was practically giddy with excitement.

I'd always had the sense of being robbed of that special night all those years ago. Granted, the first year after the accident I didn't concentrate on anything except getting back to my life. However, once I had a more stable baseline and was no longer in constant therapies and rehab, all the things that had been taken from me hit me hard.

I spent many a night crying myself to sleep as dreams of going to college, getting my Ph.D. to be a research scientist in new antibiotics and vaccines, and losing my shot at the boy who had held my heart from the first day he had showed up in our tiny town back in sixth grade. Eventually, I was able to fill the gap in my professional life, but my love life continuously disappointed. I'd had a few boyfriends, but no one I'd had the kind of connection I had with Edward.

Not to mention, he was driving me absolutely bat shit crazy with all the kissing, cuddling, and innocent groping we were sneaking in when time allowed. Sadly, we hadn't gotten close to the incredible intimacy we shared previously at the park since then. I was dying to touch and taste and feel Edward in every possible way.

The night of the reunion prom, I decided to wear my hair up, even though it displayed my cochlear implant processors easily. I wasn't ashamed of them, but found it less cumbersome without people asking what they were. I loved the way my scarlet colored dress clung to my curves the skirt flirted with my knees. The plunging neckline didn't hurt either.

I found beautiful silver, sparkly ballet flats to complete the look. Heels would have been better, but I never wore them with my destroyed balance system.

When my dad opened the door to let Edward in that night, I lost my breath at the devastating sight of him in a tux. "H-hi," I stuttered and he flashed me a cocky smirk. Edward ran his eyes over me and I felt my flesh grow warm under his gaze.

"Bella," he purred, causing me to shiver. "You look stunning. Absolutely beautiful. I will be the envy of every guy there, without a doubt. Thank you for allowing me to escort you tonight." He raised one hand that he'd tucked behind him and held out a gorgeous wrist corsage.

I bit down on my lip against the tears that threatened to fall. "Edward, it's…perfect. I love y – it." I stumbled over my words, suddenly aware of my father standing there watching the two of us. I held out my hand and he slid the band onto my wrist.

Edward leaned in and brushed a kiss along my cheek. My eyes closed at the touch and I swayed toward him. His hands came up instinctively to catch my waist and steady me, having learned I tripped frequently.

My dad made a loud, awkward noise cutting into the moment. "Well, I guess you two should be going," he said gruffly. "What time will you be home, Bells?"

I looked at him with an incredulous expression. "I don't know, dad. I'm a grown woman, so I'll be home when I choose. You might not see me until tomorrow." I arched an eyebrow to challenge him to refute my words. He huffed and sputtered a bit, but eventually he wished us a good time and left us alone.

I examined the corsage as Edward guided me to his car. "Heirloom lilacs?"

He held open the door for me and placed one hand on my lower back as I moved to get in. He cupped my cheek with his other. "First love," he murmured and leaned in to kiss me. I melted into him, lost in the sensation of his mouth moving over mine. I sighed happily when he rested his forehead on mine.

"My only love," he added before letting me go.

The gym was decked out with twinkle lights, balloon arches, and circles with small linen covered tables. Candlelight glowed from the centerpieces and music from our high school days floated in the air. We posed for a picture under a blue and gold balloon arch when we arrived, and I beamed at the camera while Edward held me close.

During dinner Edward leaned over so I could hear him more easily. "I don't want to be presumptuous, but my parents agreed to keep Maggie for the night." My heart pounded as he looked at me with a meaningful gaze. "I have a room on hold at the Miller Inn, but only if you're comfortable with that. I don't want to rush you in any way."

"Edward, I've been waiting ten years for you, longer really. Yes, I would love to share the night with you." I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth, which he deepened right away.

I growled a little when he pulled away, but when Edward held out his hand to dance with me, I stopped minding. He lead us out on to the floor and gathered me into his arms as "Your Body is a Wonderland" played over the speakers. Personally, I hated John Mayer and thought his music sucked, but with Edward tracing little swirls and patterns over my exposed skin I was completely blissed out.

A few songs later, I ducked out of the gym to make a quick stop at the ladies room. I just about to come out of the stall when I heard giggling, slightly drunk sounding voices. I couldn't make out what was being said because of the noise from the running water and reverberant tiles.

I walked out to wash my hands and saw Alice and Jessica standing there. "Oh, hello, Bella," Alice prissily greeted and I nodded to them. "I bet you think you're such hot shit for having Edward as your date, don't you?" She swayed on her feet and I examined her more closely.

She was far more drunk than I thought, or high. Possibly both.

"I'm very happy he asked me, but I don't think that makes me superior in any way." I crossed my arms over my chest. What the fuck was her problem?

"Yeah, well, I'll have you know it was me he took to the real prom. And me he fucked in the limo afterward," she sneered.

I refused to give in to the tears that I could feel coming on. This hateful, bitter woman had always disliked me for some unknown reason and I wasn't going to let her drag me down. I harbored no illusions that Edward was a virgin. I wasn't either and I wouldn't hold it against him.

"I guess it was lucky for you I was in that car accident. Edward asked _me_ first. You must enjoy being sloppy seconds."

It was a low blow. I knew her husband, Jasper, had dated Maria all through high school and not given Alice the time of day. Who knew how she'd gotten her hooks into him.

Jessica snorted with laughter. "Oh, shit! Bella, I'm impressed. I didn't think you that in you. Good for you!"

Alice looked enraged. "How dare you, Jessica!"

She rolled her eyes. "Please, Alice. We aren't in high school anymore and you are not queen bee. If Maria hadn't met Charlotte and switched teams, you'd never have Jasper." Jessica turned to me, "She's full of it. Edward didn't even go to prom. She just wishes he had. _Everyone_ knew Edward only had the hots for you."

I couldn't have stopped my grin if you'd paid me. "While you go home with a man you obviously are not happily married to, I'm going to spend the rest of the night letting Edward fuck me any how, anywhere and any way he wants. And it will be my name he yells. Have fun with you husband, be sure not call out the wrong name in bed."

I turned on my heel and swept out of the restroom and back to Edward with the biggest smile. I found him hanging out with a couple guys over by where the DJ was set up. I sauntered up and he watched with appreciation. As soon as he was within reach, I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and yanked him to me, kissing him hard. He immediately grabbed my hips and pulled flush to him, arms wrapping around me tightly as he dipped me back.

By the time we came up for air, it was to applause and cheering as a group of our old classmates surrounded us. "It's about damn time," Eric exclaimed and clapped Edward on the shoulder as everyone dispersed.

I lifted up on my toes and whispered in his ear, "Let's go, love. I'm done waiting. I want you, now."

He groaned and kissed my neck. "One more song, baby. Please."

I let him lead me back onto the floor and rested my cheek on his chest. I felt the vibrations of the opening chords and as soon as the first words we sung I recognized the song. "Backstreet Boys? Really, Edward? I thought you had better musical taste than that?" I teased as my heart melted that he remembered the song.

"Well, you are my fire," he replied with sincerity and rubbed his thumb along my cheek.

I captured his mouth once more and this time when we parted he didn't protest as I lead him off the dance floor and out of the gym.

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**Oh no, she didn't! Yes. Yes, I did. I'm cutting you off right there. How many of you want the last chapter? It's full of lemon-y goodness!See you tomorrow for IMSC's birthday! Go check out TwiFanFictionRecs to find something to read in the meantime. :o)  
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	7. Chapter 7

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IMSC! **

**This is the last chapter, sad day. I hope you all enjoyed this and thank you for reading/reviewing/alerting! I have the best readers EVER!  
**

**This is a thank you/birthday present for imarieswancullen over at the TwiFanFictionRecs blog (google to get the site)! She's so amazingly awesome and has pimped all my stories and made such beautiful banners for several of them. I can't thank her enough, so this is my small way of giving back.  
**

**Didn't IMSC make the best banner for this? **

**A HUGE thank you to my lovely beta, AngelaRaex. She's the best and I tell her that all the time.**

**I'm not Stephenie Meyer. *gasp***

**Lemons ahead! Like almost the entire chaplet...**

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I had no idea what the room at the B&B looked like and couldn't bring myself to care. Edward and I had been frantic once the keys had been handed to us. It was like we were seventeen all over again.

My body was burning with desire as Edward nipped and sucked as the sensitive skin on my neck. I shivered as he drew down the zipper on my dress and drew it off my shoulders. The fabric puddled around my feet with a soft shushing sound.

"You are so beautiful," Edward said as his eyes traveled over my body. I knew my cobalt blue bra and lace thong accented my skin and made my breasts look awesome, but it was still rewarding to hear those words from him. Almost reverently, he unhooked my bra and let it fall to the floor, a sort of strangled whimper escaping him.

He caressed his hands up to cup my breasts and I moaned when he brushed his thumbs across my hardened nipples. He dipped his head down to capture one in his mouth and I almost fell over from the erotic sensation. I clenched my thighs together against the insistent throbbing between them.

_Please touch my pussy. Please, please, please._

Edward gave a low chuckle and slipped his fingers under my panties to tangle in my damp curls.

"Fuck!" I cried out as pleasure shot through me. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" I panted and didn't give a shit if I did or not. All I knew was I had gotten my wish and I wasn't going to complain while Edward's talented fingers curled against places inside me I didn't know could feel that amazing.

"Sure did, baby," he smirked. "I like a woman who isn't afraid to say what she wants."

"I want _you_, Edward. Now. Right fucking now!" I demanded and started shoving and tearing at his clothes. "God, you've driven me crazy since I met you, and once my hormones really kicked in… I have no idea how you never realized all the dirty things I imagined us doing together in my mind. All. The. Time."

Edward stood slack-jawed at my admission for a second before he jumped into action and his tux was scattered on the floor in moments. He kissed me hard as he slid my thong over my hips. I let him lower me onto the bed and sighed at the delicious feel of his naked skin on mine for the first time.

"I love you, Bella. I want to make love to you."

I spread my legs wider to accommodate his hips to settle into my own. I gasped when Edward softly ground his cock against my heated sex. "Please, Edward," I begged unabashedly. "Take me. Make me yours forever."

He groaned loudly and I felt the head of him press inside by an inch. I tilted my hips and he slipped further into my body. I let out a fluttery sigh from the gorgeous feeling of Edward stretching me. Now I just needed him to fill me completely. "More. I want you sheathed in me."

His restraint snapped and he plunged all the way in causing both of us to cry out. So slowly it was practically torture, he thrust in and out of me. Tendrils of pleasure curled and coiled low in my belly and he sweetly loved me in a way I'd never felt before. Quiet words and heated kisses were exchanged between us as we languidly rode the waves to ecstasy together.

As my completion drew nearer, I grabbed at him, desperate to touch him as much as I could and hoping to spur him to move faster, harder. "Edward, please. So close," I whimpered and he pushed deeper in response.

He hitched one of my knees up around his hip with one hand. With the other, he threaded his fingers with mine. I'd never had anyone hold my hand during sex and it loosened a flood of emotions at the same time as my orgasm thundered through my body. I mewled out my love for him as he drove into me and came with a roar.

I was still coming back to myself when he rolled onto his back and pulled me with him. I snuggled against his chest while we both caught our breath. "That was by far the greatest experience of my life," I said with a soft smile and no shame.

"Me, too, baby. I kind of want to go back in time and kick my teenage self's ass for not having any balls and waiting too long to ask you out. I know it would have taken a little time to get things as good as this was, but God, to have had ten years of being with you like that…" He let his voice trail off and got this faraway look in his eyes.

"I know you feel robbed of time with us, but if my accident hadn't happened who knows where we would be. You wouldn't have Maggie. I wouldn't have the most popular bakery in Seattle. And our first time together wouldn't have been as mind blowing-ly fantastic," I chided with a smirk.

"Well, I guess I can't argue with that. And now that I have you, and have had you, there is no way in hell I will ever let you go. I want forever with you, Bella. A house, marriage, more babies, and lots and lots of sex."

I belly laughed at him and caressed his cheek. "I want that, too, Edward. You've always been the one to hold my heart."

He lifted me so I was straddling him. "Will you move in with me and Maggie when we move to Seattle in two weeks, Bella?"

"Yes," I answered with a gasp as his thumb brushed my most sensitive spot.

He lifted his other hand and gently held the nape of my neck. "Will you marry me on Christmas Eve?"

"Yes," I sobbed and let him guide me over to ease his body into mine.

"Are you on the pill, baby?" He rocked my hips and I made a little noise of pleasure.

I shook my head. "No." I threw back my head as we moved together more quickly, Edward shifting to sit up so he was deeper inside.

"Perfect." He leaned in and kissed me deeply.

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_Five Years Later_

"Daddy! Daddy!" our little whirling dervish cried and threw herself at Edward. He laughed and scooped Emily up into his arms as we walked further inside his parent's house. "I missed you." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. I couldn't help smiling at our five year old "Little E." She was a mini replica of Edward from her wild auburn hair, green eyes, and even his crooked smile. And a total daddy's girl!

"I missed you, too," Edward replied with a grin.

"Mama, mama, mama, mama!"

I beamed and knelt down to catch Seth in my arms. Our chestnut-haired and green-eyed, two-year-old baby boy laid his head on my shoulder as I gently squeezed him.

Esme came into view. "How was the Inn?"

Edward and I glanced at each other and I bit my lip as memories of last night flooded my mind. "Perfect," Edward answered. Every year in October, we brought the kids to Forks and stayed one night just the two of us at the Miller Tree Inn. To this day, we still had never actually made it down to breakfast the morning after. We preferred a different kind of feast.

Seth wiggled in my arms and I released him so he could climb up into his daddy's lap.

"Mommy! I made double chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, come try them." Maggie ran into the room and grabbed my hand.

Edward made a disgruntled sound. "Hey, don't I get a hello?"

She flashed her 'sweet girl' smile. "Hi, Daddy." Then tugged on my hand again. I laughed at Edward's playful hurt expression and allowed my little baker to guide me into the kitchen. From the first time we had made cookies together, Maggie was in the kitchen at home and at Duck and Goose being my helper. She was definitely going to take over the business one day.

As I smelled the delicious aroma, I sighed happily. My life might have taken a curve I didn't see coming, but fate had come full circle and I couldn't imagine my world being more complete.

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**Happy duckies all around? Quick and sort of self-indulgent announcement. I likely won't be posting anything new for a while on here because I am focusing on my own original story. I hope to be back soon, because there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of having your inbox full of alerts and reviews from you ladies (and gents?)! Leave me some love? :o)  
**


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